Monument record MDO18146 - Greyhound Yard, Roman enclosure 5537

An enclosed area in the north central part of the Greyhound Yard insula defined by gullies along its north, south and east sides with an initially open west side, as revealed by the 1984 excavations at Greyhound Yard excavations, Dorchester. These gullies represent part of the primary marking out of this insula and probably date to the mid 1st century AD. The southern boundary was replaced by another slightly to the north at some point during the later 1st century and the western side was defined by a gully at about the same time.

Found during the excavations carried out by Wessex Archaeology in 1984 prior to the redevelopment of the area of the former Greyhound Yard. (1) The results of the excavation were published together with the results of the adjacent Old Methodist Chapel excavations. (2) The numbers in square brackets below are context and feature numbers used in the published report (2).

The enclosure was originally defined by shallow gullies on the north [3667], east [2698] and south [3896] sides forming an enclosure about 24m north-south and 18m east-west. These gullies were filled with reddish-brown clay and represented the primary elements in this area. The gullies to the north and east appear to be part of the initial setting out of the internal central area of the Greyhound Yard insula and the southern gully represents an early subdivison of the central area dividing Enclosure 5537 from Enclosure 5518 to the south.

The boundary along the southern side of the enclosure was redefined by a larger gully [3925], just to the north of the original boundary. This gully was 0.35m deep and had a number of postholes, some with flint packing, evident along its base. The west side was closed off or defined by a similar gully [3693]. This was 0.35m deep and the remains of a single posthole were found in the base. These changes to the enclosure are not well dated but are probably later 1st century in date.

The northern boundary of the enclosure may have been short-lived as during the later 1st century, a number of pits in the rear of the northern frontage properties were extended southwards across it.

There was no build-up of deposits within this enclosure and evidence for activity was restricted to features cutting into the chalk bedrock. A post-built building [5539] was constructed in the NE corner of the enclosure and a further scatter of postholes was found within the enclosure but these cannot be securely related to it.

A number of pits were dug within the enclosure, mainly on its west side. Pit [3112] was a very large, roughly square pit with vertical sides and a flat base about 2.25m deep, on the western side of the enclosure. It had been backfilled with tips of chalk rubble containing quantities of pottery and other refuse. To the south of pit 3112 was a cluster of intercutting pits [2069, 2065, 2053, 2021, 2036, 2020]. Only the lower parts of these pits survived. They were generally rounded and up to about 1.5m and filled with brown chalky loams. They contained debris and waste bone from the butchering of cattle.

In the southeast corner of the enclosure was an isolated pit [3991]. This was rounded in shape, about 1.1m deep, and filled with brown soil.

Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Dorchester, Durnovaria: Excavations in the town centre at Greyhound Yard, and the Old Methodist Chapel (1982-1984): Interim and introductory notes to the current excavations (Unpublished document). SDO9435.

Wessex Archaeology, 1984, Greyhound Yard, Dorchester excavation archive (Excavation archive). SDO9456.

<1> Woodward, P J , Davies, S M , and Graham, A H, 1984, Excavations at the Greyhound Yard Car Park, Dorchester, 1984, 99-106 (Article in serial). SDO9437.

<2> Woodward, P J , Davies, S M , and Graham, A H, 1993, Excavations at the Old Methodist Chapel and Greyhound Yard, Dorchester, 1981-1984, 50-52 (Monograph). SDO9411.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:27PM